The U.S. government is recommending up to six months in prison for former 7th District Republican congressional candidate Gabe Whitley for filing fraudulent campaign finance reports.
Whitley pleaded guilty to making false statements earlier this year when he filed his campaign finance reports. During the May 2024 primary, Whitley filed reports claiming he had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from donors who did not exist or never contributed to his campaign. Whitley came in fifth place in that race.
Under the plea agreement and federal sentencing guidelines, the government recommended that Whitley spend up to six months in prison.
The defendant’s conduct was calculated and intentionally designed to create the appearance that he was a legitimate candidate for office with the financial support of the electorate. His filing of false reports created an illusion of credibility, and his actions were repetitive, purposeful, and manipulative. The defendant denied the public its most powerful tool for casting informed ballots: transparency.
The government also declined to recommend probation, in part due to his conduct in state court on felony intimidation charges against Indy Politics publisher Abdul-Hakim Shabazz.
Since pleading guilty to the instant offense, the defendant has continued to demonstrate an utter lack of respect for the judiciary and filed multiple incendiary pleadings in ongoing state litigation. In a motion for a change of venue, the defendant stated that the African-American judge presiding over his case got his “law license from a Cracker Jack box[] because they don’t give monkeys real law license [sic].” Ex. A. Similarly in a letter to the Court, the defendant wrote: “Quit turning this into a political circus at a Zoo and making a mockery of the court.” Ex. B. Such conduct from an individual who had pleaded guilty to a criminal offense only several weeks before, reflects a lack of seriousness in engaging with the judicial process and suggests that a probationary sentence would be an insufficient deterrent.
Whitley will be formally sentenced on April 29th. His intimidation hearing is set for July.
You can read the complete sentencing recommendation below.
